Redshirt junior C.J. Nelson delivered this key reception in last week’s win at rival Western Illinois. (Photo by EIUPanthers.com)
By Dan Verdun
C.J. Nelson came to Eastern a broken player. He’s now a key playmaker in the offense.
“I broke my fibula and tibia causing me to have a metal rod put in my (right) leg, so I had to take a couple of months off football,” said Nelson, who transferred to Eastern Illinois from FBS Houston last season.
EIU receivers coach Tino Smith was instrumental in Nelson coming to Charleston.
“He and Coach (Chris) Wilkerson’s staff blessed me to come here,” the 5-foot-11, 195-pound receiver said.
Smith has proven to be instrumental in Nelson’s development by finding his role and improving his technique.
“Coming into college, I felt like I always had to be ‘the man,’ which isn’t always the case. There’s other people here with talent and you can feed off that,” Nelson said. “Coach Smith really helped me with my route running. I am able to get in and out of my break much better.”
Nelson experienced his breakout game Sept. 13 against nationally ranked Illinois State. The Texas native caught seven passes for 194 yards. He scored on TD receptions of 75 and 51 yards.
“He’s a special, dynamic player,” Wilkerson said. “He’s continued to work really hard at everything that he does. He’s paid his dues.”
EIU leaned heavily on its running game in last weekend’s 31-23 win at rival Western Illinois to begin the OVC-Big South schedule.
While Nelson caught just one pass, it proved to be a table-setter for the Panthers. Facing a second-and-7 from the EIU 25, Nelson delivered a highlight-reel, 20-yard catch with under 2 minutes left before halftime.
“I remember coming out of my break and seeing the ball at the top with defenders around me. I knew I had to be the first one to touch the ball, so I had to go up and get it,” he said.
Wilkerson said, “He made the most of his opportunity. It was a big play. It did allow us to move the chains and continue that drive.”
One play later, redshirt freshman Jacarre Fleming broke away for a 55-yard touchdown run. The score boosted EIU’s lead to 21-6 at the break.
EIU (2-2 overall, 1-0 in OVC-Big South) hosts Tennessee State (1-3, 0-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday at O’Brien Field in Charleston.
This week’s opponent
Tennessee State will play its first road game of the season when the Tigers come to Charleston. TSU, coached by former NFL receiver Reggie Barlow, dropped its OVC-Big South opener to league favorite Tennessee Tech last weekend.
Running back Kendric Rhymes leads the Tigers in both rushing and receiving this season. The Southern University transfer has 359 yards rushing with three touchdowns with a team-high 15 receptions and one TD.
“That running back is the real deal,” Wilkerson said. “He’s one of the best in the league.”
TSU has used two quarterbacks – Jonathan Palmer and Byron McNair – this season. Kicker Freddy Perez has notched five field goals.
The Tigers feature an “athletic and physical” defense, according to Wilkerson. Defensive back Kaiki Baker (29 tackles, 4.5 for loss) and defensive end James Stewart (23 tackles, 4 for loss) lead the team.
Kickoff: 2 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: WEIU.net/hitmix
Key matchup to watch
EIU defense vs. TSU explosive players
“Our tackling and our ability to not give up the massive chunk play (was a big reason we beat Western),” Wilkerson said. “Our communication and understanding of what areas we were going to give up and rallying in those areas (was much improved).”
The Panthers will need a similar effort to defeat the Tigers.
What’s at stake
A victory can give Eastern its first 2-0 conference start since 2017 when head coach Kim Dameron’s Panthers began with a 4-0 OVC mark. EIU finished 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the league that fall.
Quick hits
Wilkerson said both quarterbacks – redshirt freshman Connor Wolf and redshirt sophomore Cole LaCrue – will see playing time against Tennessee State as they did against Western Illinois. … Eastern plays the next two weeks at home. After hosting Tennessee State Saturday, the Panthers welcome Gardner-Webb to town Oct. 11 for homecoming. … Transfer Mason Miller is averaging 48 yards per punt, which ranks fourth among FCS leaders. A year ago, he was an NAIA All-America, leading that level in punting at 45.3 yards per kick. EIU’s single-season record was set in 2007 by Kevin Cook (44.6). … Graduate student Brett Galletti has been named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Award, which is presented to the top academic student in college football. Galletti earned his bachelor’s degree in construction management with a 3.97 GPA and is enrolled in the MBA program at EIU. Galletti opened the season as the starting long snapper, a role he has performed in for the past three years. He was one of 44 FCS players selected as semifinalists and four from the OVC-Big South. … Fleming was named the Stats Perform FCS National Freshman of the Week on Monday after his performance in the road win at Western Illinois. Fleming rushed for 111 yards on nine carries, including two touchdown runs of 55 and 30 yards. He finished the game with 177 all-purpose yards with one reception for five yards and three kick returns for 61 yards.
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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